


Don't Be Afraid of Your Neighbor

by Spencebox



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha Kylo Ren, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Animal Instincts, Ben Solo is a werewolf, Ben is a Good Egg, Breeding, F/M, Human Rey (Star Wars), Imprinting, Mating, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mountain Man Ben, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Older Man/Younger Woman, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Ben Solo, Rey is a Good Bean, Rough Sex, Slight Imprinting, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22762504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spencebox/pseuds/Spencebox
Summary: Rey Kenobi was going to do everything in her power to make this work- she would go out and meet people, get a job that treated her with a little respect, even make a few friends with the group who liked to hang out in the bakery.But getting her reclusive neighbor to come out of hiding was going to be a task all in itself...As well as figuring out why a wolf was in her living room.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 251
Kudos: 1213
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. Colder Than Expected

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Walkuwaš](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21233030) by [MalevolentReverie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalevolentReverie/pseuds/MalevolentReverie). 



> Guys! I love Reylo and ABO and yeah I'm working on other ones but the more the merrier I guess!
> 
> I love MalevolentReveries fanfics and Walkuwaš inspired this, as well as Summer Heat by IshaRen. 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605809/chapters/26089497 (Summer Heat Link)
> 
> Also!
> 
> I had a bad week last week and the readers of my other Reylo fics seriously cheered me up! I love all of you!

There was a thin layer of snow bordering the plane window.

Snow was a rarity in Jakku; there were only ever high sunny days with sunburns that never died, even the winter never saw a cloudy day. Not many people liked it there; some got heat stroke and up and left, others isolated themselves to their air-conditioned bathrooms and never saw the light of day.

Obi-Wan had called her a fool, “You’re wasting your life in the dust bowl.” And where had the lie been? Unkar Plutt took advantage of every paycheck, every benefit, _everything._

The places with the cheapest tickets had been Taris, Naatan, Cinnagar, and Courscant. At the end of the day, sitting in front of a plane ticket, Rey was going to Coruscant.

Well, Rey _was_ in Coruscant, watching from the window seat as snow fell onto the runway tracks, little men trying their best to guide the plane into its correct spot. It had been a long flight- a solid 9 hours of leg jittering nerves that made anything she’d previously eaten wanting exit from its confines. She didn’t hate traveling; it was just a rarity in her life.

She had two bags with her, it was all she’d needed to stuff up her life and flee from the rent-controlled apartment of Maz Kanata, wishing the small woman a fond farewell with promise of postcards. There wasn’t much she needed to start again, but this would be good for her.

Jakku had been a toxin that was slowly killing her, and Coruscant already just looked like a complete 180.

_“We have now landed in Coruscant. Thank you for your stay and please make your way to baggage claim.”_

The plane was nearly empty; a young man with his daughter who’d cried more than half the ride, an elderly woman who looked to be on her last leg, and Rey, the brown haired girl bundled up in a winter coat and stupidly thin leggings that would no doubt paint the word _tourist_ on her forehead.

Obtaining her luggage had been a simple affair, trudging through the mostly empty terminal a breeze and standing outside in the windy snow was a bit shit. Did this town even have taxis? The flip phone in her pocket made sure she was stuck unless there was someone to call.

She was mostly alone, a man stood a few feet away on his phone, boisterous laugh echoing in the wind. It was hard to guess if he was a regular- why would a regular be at the airport- or if he was coming in same as her.

The cold was starting to set in her fingertips, teeth chattering and legs shaking.

“Hey.” She did her best to not acknowledge him; he was probably not even talking to her. “Hey you, in the leggings.”

Seeing as she was the only one stupid enough to wear leggings in snow, she turned to give him a tight smile, “Hello.”

He was oddly handsome; curls gelled back and warm brown eyes that reminded her of the mud back home, “You need a ride kid? I’m heading into town and the snow is getting pretty bad.”

God, did she really look that young? 20 was the new 18 apparently.

It was never good to take a ride from strangers, even if she needed it, “I don’t want to put you out, and besides, I’ll wait for the next shuttle.” Assuming this airport had a shuttle into town.

He shook his head, “Shuttle stopped running two hours ago, and you’d be out here all night.” The man jogged over to her, sticking out a mitten-covered hand, “I’m Poe, Poe Dameron.”

“I’m Rey, and really it’s fine.”

“My boyfriend would kick my ass if I left you here alone in the freezing cold when I have a car with a heater.” He had a point, but she wouldn’t let him know that. “Please Rey, I’ll just drop you off in town and you’ll never see me again.”

Poe gave her a pair of puppy dog eyes and smiled when she handed him her luggage, both of them trudging over to the reasonable sized car, chucking her stuff in the trunk and hurrying to sit down.

Poe turned the heat on high, shucking off the thick mittens and shedding the puffy coat. Rey did the same, mittens off but coat still on, not exactly trusting Poe in the fullest.

“So, Rey, where you from?” Poe started up the car, backing out of the empty parking lot and going down the snowy highway while Rey gazed out of the window, “Guessing its somewhere with a lot less white.”

She chuckled, “I’m pretty sure it’d make the news if it snowed in Jakku.”

“ _Jakku_?” Poe snorted with a gross face, “That place is a goddam junkyard. I went there for Finn’s high school reunion and barely lasted the weekend. Way too goddam hot for my taste.”

“At least I never had to worry about skidding off the road in Jakku.” He had the decency to look shocked, “If you know what you’re doing, you’ll never skid.”

One of the major differences in Jakku and Coruscant was the greenery that lined the road of this snowy place; she wondered just how long they went.

Poe must have read her her mind, “Tourists get lost all the time trying to conquer these woods. I personally wouldn’t recommend it cause sometimes it takes the ranger’s days to find people. Sometimes, they only come back in parts.”

Okay, no checking out woods was high on her list.

She kept her eyes on the green woods pacing by, “Are there bears out there?”

“Nah, coyotes sometimes but bears hibernate this time of year. Now in spring, I’d keep the trash inside cause Yogi bear might be in your back yard trying to eat fish bones at midnight.”

Both of them chuckled, and Poe sobered up first, “So where is it I’m taking you Miss Rey?”

She reached into the pocket of her coat, pulling out a small notecard, “1482 Woodland Road.”

He nearly swerved the card while exclaiming, “ _Woodland Road_? Why the hell you wanna go up there?”

“My grandfather Obi-Wan left it to me in his will.” She tried to keep the sadness from her voice, “I should’ve been here when he died but I was stupid and yet he still left it all to me. Crazy, isn’t it?”

Poe shot her a side-glance, “Yeah, I remember old Obi-Wan, nice guy. When he passed, it was all anyone could talk about here.” He furrowed his brow, “I never knew he had a granddaughter.”

“He doesn’t biologically at least. He adopted me on a trip to Canterbury when I was 10 but…”

_But I was waiting for my real parents to come back._

She must have been silent for too long seeing as Poe tried to turn the conversation, “You should meet Finn, I think you two would really hit it off. You two could bond over being from Jakku, thinking I’m devilishly handsome, and hating this snowy hellscape.”

There was a town up ahead, a few stores that had windows boarded up and no pedestrians in sight, but she watched as they made a sharp turn up a hill, away from any sign of people.

“Why aren’t we—”?

“Because Woodland Road lives up to its name.” They weaved through a thickness of mossy trees, “Obi-Wan liked his isolation, never really liked to be bothered so hopefully you get a bike or something to come into town. Snap owns a car rental if that’s more your style.”

She barely heard a word he said, watching as they drove deeper and deeper into the thicket of woods, grateful that there was at least a path back out. She’d definitely consider getting a car, or at least a bike for now, hopefully there was a job in town she could get. Yes, Obi-Wan had left her money but it was in her nature to work for everything she needed, so that money was going to stay right where it was.

“And… here we are. Casa Kenobi.”

It was a moderately sized wooden cabin, four windows on the front and one story that spanned quiet a bit back. It looked stable, well cared for, and she wondered how it looked inside.

Poe stepped out from the car, eyes darting around as if trying to catch sight of something, before taking the two bags out of the car, walking to the porch to plop them down.

“You sure you’ll be good up here all by yourself?” She watched as he kept looking around, mimicking him but only seeing trees.

“I think I’ll be good. Tonight I’ll get settled in and tomorrow I’ll go into town, get a feel of everything. Will I see you?”

He shook his head, “Probably not. I’m a pilot so I’m typically at the airport most of the time. But Finn works at the Bakery so maybe pop in, tell I ‘em I sent you.”

Rey nodded, “Thanks Poe, you’re a real lifesaver.” They hugged for a moment, breaking apart as he started to jog back to his car, leaving Rey retrieve the key from her pocket, opening the door.

“Rey!”

A sharp turn had her facing Poe, waiting expectantly as he patted the hood of his car, about to step in.

He was scratching his head like he was about to say something unsavory, “It totally slipped my mind but you do have a neighbor.” He pointed to the right, where another log cabin was in just in sight, “He’s kind of a recluse so don’t bother him and he won’t bother you.”

“And try not to wander around these parts…” He looked over his shoulder with a glare before turning back, “Heard stories of wolves roaming the area, wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.

Wolves?

A shiver of fear ran through her limbs, waving him off before stepping inside the cabin, shutting and locking the door, noting it was even colder inside than out. A thick layer of dust covered _everything_ ; couches, sofas, mantles, every plate or cup was covered in dust.

It would take hours to dust all of it, or at least restore it back to a state that resembled a lived in home, so then maybe the idea of having Poe and his boyfriend Finn over was a doable plan. And tomorrow she’d welcome herself to this tiny town, be the person Obi-Wan had known she could be.

A rustle of the window curtain brought her to the window, looking out at the house just out of the way.

_Don’t bother him and he won’t bother you_

She wondered who was in there; yes, it was a man, but was he tall or short? And why did he live all the way up here by himself? It must be lonely for him.

She knew lonely all too well.

“Well, let’s get started.” Her voice resonated through the empty room, eyes finding a light switch, and practically jumping at the light that came through the cabin. At least there was power, but a quick jog to the kitchen showed not a single ounce of food, which had her stomach grumbling in hunger for a measly portion of food.

Eh, she shushed her stomach, knowing she’d gone without food for longer periods of time than this.

The clock above the kitchen doorway read 9:52.

There wasn’t much else to be done tonight, so Rey walked through the cabin, finding what must have been Obi-Wan’s room, bed perfectly made with a book resting on the nightstand. Her fingers ran across the smooth covers, butt settling on the soft mattress and picking up the book- _A Tale of Two Cities._

Her voice was soft, “I miss you more than you know.”

The book was placed back in its place and she settled on top of the bed, soft cries drifting in the air as she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

A dark ominous figure walked through the forest, bones and muscles rearranging— changing—until a man as tall as a mountain stood outside a log cabin, heavy footsteps stomping up the steps and opening the door, welcoming the warm air and shaking off any excess blood or sweat, damp hair clinging to a pale forehead.

It was a sparse cabin, one sofa for sitting and a TV for watching, the kitchen fridge full of steaks and various vegetables with a few cartons of eggs stacked up.

The clock above the kitchen doorway read 9:52.

The man stumbled to his bed—his nest—and fell into a scent that let those thick muscles relax, mind calming and drifting.

And he’d been so close to a sleep, so close to drifting off when _it_ hit him. It was foreign and strange, but heavy breaths left his nose as a primal hunger grew within his chest, never having felt power like this before.

What was this? What creature could possible have his body react in a way that had every muscle tensing, ready to spring like a trap?

It was then he heard it; inside his head he heard a little voice whisper a word that wolves only dreamt of having, of holding close on a night like this and never letting go.

_Mate._


	2. Mystery Meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey adjusts to her new life and meets the locals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy sHIT WHY DOES THIS HAVE SO MANY KUDOS IM CONFUSION
> 
> The next chapter will have that crisp Ben content!

It turned out the heater was broken, and it made sense too, as Rey had spent the entire night huddled into her down coat, trying hard not to let the cold seep to her bones, eventually cuddling under the blankets and getting a half decent sleep.

It must have been morning already—the light from the outside world was bleeding in from the windows and already brightening up the dusty walls.

The birds were humming, squirrels chattering amongst each other and a light hum echoed between the trees. The silence was the shattering reality that she was no longer in Jakku; there were no more noisy cars with raging horns or buses that were inevitably off schedule.

It was just her and nature.

It took a moment to come out from the blanket burrito she’d curled into overnight, stretching warm legs and tight limbs, eventually standing and reaching to the ceiling and straining on her toes, and flopping back over in a huff. As much as she desired to stay and sit in bed all day—probably crying about one of her many issues—the growling in the pit of her belly demanded a walk to the empty fridge.

Lucky for her, and her stomach, there were two small airplane bags of peanuts stuffed in her bag, and she devoured them in minutes, barely feeling them quell her hunger. Her fingers twitched at her side, eyes searching every inch of the living room for anything to consume.

Any sensible person would’ve simply driven their car into town, or biked down the path and run into the nearest eatery for any ounce of food, but it was _fucking_ cold out there, and she had no car or bike.

_But the neighbor does_

Oh god, she wasn’t seriously contemplating stealing the mystery neighbor’s car? Cause that was seriously the most fucked up new neighborly thing she could think of doing. They hadn’t even met yet and she wanted to steal his car, but not like _steal_ steal.

Just borrow.

Without his knowledge.

Huh…that _was_ stealing.

The rational part of her brain nudged the idea of going over and becoming acquainted with him, shaking hands and all that, and then asking for his car. Or maybe they could go together and become best friends, buy each other coffee and all that.

But Poe did say he was a recluse so none of this would probably happen, but it was worth a try. She shed the previous nights clothes and dressed as warmly as possible, locking the door behind her and walking through the moderate layer of snow to the only other wood cabin for miles.

It was almost the exact same as hers; there were a few wind chimes hanging from the ceiling over the door, and a large wooden chair rested a few feet away. There were deep cracks in some of the wood—her slim hand glided along the railing as she climbed the steps to the front door, noting a few jagged marks littered the floor, stopping just before she reached the door.

It was hard to describe or put into words, but she felt strange. Not strange in a bad or good way, but just strange.

She shook it off to lightly knock on the door and wait patiently, rocking on the balls of her feet, turning once to look at the massive Hummer a few feet away.

There was no answer for a few minutes, prompting her to knock once more and slightly harder. There was no doorbell so she yelled, “It’s your new neighbor!”

There was still no answer and well, maybe he wasn’t home? But his car was literally right behind her so unless he was off frolicking in the woods, he had to inside.

“I really need to use your car! I don’t have any way to get down and it’s too cold to walk so I’d really appreciate it if I could use it for a few hours!”

She waited a beat but no answer came, only the howl of the wind echoed in response.

There was no point in waiting so she turned around and started down the short steps, glaring at the stupid Hummer that was her only way to get down—

“ _Ow_!”

A pressure hit the middle of her back, not actually hurting more than simply startling her, turning around to stare wide eyed at the set of _keys_ laying in the snow, looking back at the still closed door with a open mouth. Had he thrown his keys at her?

“Thank you!” She yelled with a laugh and eagerly picked up the keys, running to the car. It came to life with ease and she easily pulled away from the house, not looking in the rearview and missing the pair of eyes watching her leave through a crack in the door.

It was fairly simple to get into town, simply following the path and trying to avoid any particularly slippery patches of ice, eventually driving past a myriad of small stores; she’d never seen this many small businesses in her life. They ranged from coffee shops, to hardware stores…

And she pulled up front to the only shop that resembled any sort of bakery, making sure she wasn’t in the red and paid off the meter for a handful of hours.

The colorful sign read ‘Tico Town’ and the open window showed a display of cookies, cupcakes and pies, which only helped in making her stomach grumble. There was no doubt she could destroy an entire pie in a heartbeat and maybe go back for a second.

The door jingled when she stepped in and a girl with hair that had ends that defied gravity yelled, “Welcome to Tico Town, I’m Rose Tico!”

Rey tried not to shy away from the slightly aggressive tone and smiled at Rose Tico, “Hi Rose, I’m Rey.” She stepped to the counter and held out a hand, “I just moved here and Poe told me I should stop by. His boyfriend Finn is actually—“

“ _FINN!”_

Rey flinched at the sound of the other girls screech, watching as a dark skinned man came out from the back room with a distressed look, “What’s wrong? Are we being robbed? Are you okay?”

Rey gave him a shy wave while Rose gave him a bright smile, “Someone’s here to see you.”

“Dammit Rosie, isn’t there a rule about not yelling unless we’re being robbed?” Rose nodded behind the counter with a mischievous look before going back to rearranging the display case, leaving Rey to walk over to Finn and introduce herself.

“Poe told me to drop by, said he was your boyfriend. I’m Rey, just moved here.”

Finn eagerly shook her hand, “Yeah, Poe called me about you last night, mentioned you were from Jakku.” He scratched his head, “Haven’t been there in a while. What brings you all the way down here?”

“I thought Poe would’ve told you. Obi-Wan left me his house up in Woodland Road.” Much like Poe had, Finn seemed a little shocked at her living up there.

“Hm, not much life up there.”

She was tempted to ask about her neighbor, hopefully he knew anything, “Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about my neighbor. He gave me his keys but I haven’t really seen him.”

“Then how’d you get the keys?”

She struggled a smile; “He sort of threw them at my back.”

Finn huffed through his nose, “Sounds like Solo. He tends to keep to himself…” He thought for a moment, “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him in a while. Hoped the wolves hadn’t gotten to him or something.”

_Solo?_

“His name is Solo?” What a strange name, but sounded right for someone who lived in isolation.

“It’s all anybody really calls him. He’s come in a handful of times, never really says much. I see him maybe once a week at the Grocer down the street, man eats a lot of red meat.”

Rey nodded and took mental notes about the mysterious _Solo_ , “Do you know if anyone around is offering any work? I’d go crazy if I spent all my time up there.

His eyes lit up, “Well, funny you should ask that. Rosies’s sister Paige just got engaged and moved away, meaning we need a new hand to help out back with the prep and all that. Can you bake?”

She wouldn’t call herself a bad cook, “I can follow a recipe?”

“Good enough. Welcome aboard!”

They shook hands, and then decided to just hug; Finn animatedly started rambling about her pay—$15 an hour with one week of combined sick leave/vacation per month with added dental after passing the four-month probation trial.

It was this overwhelming joy that she felt, and it made her smile even wider at Finn, following him behind the swinging door into the bakery.

* * *

It was just past 3:30, and she’d learned how to work every mixer and processor and cookie cutter alike, that Fin sent her on her way out. “We open at 8 so try for 7:30.” But not before giving her outfit a once over, “And do try for something a little cuter.”

Any other time she would’ve been offended, but her shoddily put together outfit was a little ugly.

The one and only Grocery store in town was Holdo’s, and it was a quick walk from Tico Town that had her grabbing a shopping cart out front and walking through the automatic doors. It was relatively empty for a food store, but she made her way through the few sections of fruits and vegetables—taking mind to ignore things like celery and cucumber but grabbing a handful of peppers, apples and mangoes.

A purple haired woman was reading a magazine behind the meat counter, idly turning the pages before looking up at Rey, a large smile overtaking her face, “Well, I haven’t seen you around before.”

She stood and held out a hand over the glass separating them, “I’m Amilyn Holdo, I’ve been running this place over ten years and I typically know everyone in town.”

Rey shook Amilyn’s hand, “I’m Rey, I moved in last night.” Amilyn nodded, releasing her hand. “Funny enough, I just got a job at the bakery down the street. Do you know Finn?”

“Everyone knows everyone Rey, its’ how small towns work.” Amilyn perched back on her chair, motioning to the array of meats and fish, “Anything specific in mind?”

“Uhm…”

She thought about it for a moment, but seeing as Jakku never really had _meat_ that wasn’t snake, she was a bit out of her element.

There was an array of ground meats, a few floppy tilapia and tuna, perfectly cut steaks marbled with fat that would cook up nicely. An odd thought punched its way through, Finn’s words about her neighbor’s favoritism of red meat prompting her to say, “I’ll take 3 Strip Steaks, please.”

But a simple question slipped out before she could stop herself,

“Do you know Solo?”

Amilyn’s manicured hand that had been reaching for the steaks stopped, eyes darting up to watch the sun kissed girl with trepidation, “I said it before Rey, everyone knows everyone.”

“So you _do_ know him. Can you tell me anything? I live next door and I’d like to get to know him, seeing as were up in Woodland Road together.”

Amilyn nodded, “Hm.”

Rey was handed the packaged steaks with a stern but friendly eye, “He used to come in here a couple times a week but now…”

A far away look crossed Amilyn’s eyes before disappearing in a blink, “I’d be a little careful with him; he wasn’t always the best at controlling his anger.”

Rey nodded and finished up buying the basic supplies, paying the pimple faced cashier the $65.78 and running to throw the bags in the car.

The last thing on her mental list was a bike, and Poe had only mentioned a man named Snap who had car rentals, but a bike would be just fine, seeing as there was a pathway paved to leave Woodland Road. Snap’s Rentals was just two blocks away, and a tall white man was perched on a stool by the entrance.

He started speaking as she stepped from the car, “You lookin for a rental Miss?”

And she scratched her head with making a face, “I was wondering if you knew where I could get a bike, or rent one at least.”

There was a look she couldn’t quiet place on his face, “If you don’t mind me asking, where’d you get this car?” He continued before she could even answer, “I remember selling it to a man as big as a mountain, and he sure as hell didn’t look like you.”

_Solo was as big as a mountain._

She tucked that information away, “I asked my neighbor, Solo, if I could bring it into town to get some things.” He slowly nodded.

“So… any bikes?” She gave her best smile and he luckily had a beat up one in the back, “No one really rides these things anymore so it’s yours, if you want.”

The drive back up was as easy as it had been coming down, and she shut the massive car off with ease, simply sitting and staring at her neighbors house through the windshield.

How the idea hadn’t popped into her head earlier was a mystery, and she easily pulled down the top compartment where the drivers licenses typically were…except there was nothing there, which made her shut it close and stare at his home with a huff.

It looked the same, and she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, eyeing the bag of groceries in the passenger seat.

“If I were an isolated mountain man, would I like steaks?”

The groceries didn’t respond and Rey hopped out of the car, running around to get the groceries, and placing the bike at the bottom of the steps. The car locked with a beep and she slowly walked up the steps, his keys jingling at her side while a weary look rested on her face.

She still decided to knock.

And as expected, there was no answer.

“I have your keys!”

Rey looked back and forth, and decided to press her ear to the door, trying to hear if he was even in there. Her cheek was flush with the cold wooden door, eyebrows pinched in concentration while trying to listen…

And jumping back at the heavy breathing resonating from the other side.

_He’s right **there**. _

Her heart jumped to an odd beat, watching the door with dry lips and questioning eyes. He knew she was right there, and if he was anything like a mountain, than he had a higher chance of hurting her than her hurting him. And yet, this was the second time today he refused to show himself to her.

“Well, I’ll just leave your keys out here.” She audibly dropped them on the floor. “I heard you like steaks too.” And placed the bag with three juicy steaks on the doormat. “I’ll just…go I guess.”

The door still didn’t open, and it simply made her frown.

Groceries in one hand and bike dragged across the snow in the other, she walked to her porch without looking back, clumsily opening the door, but first setting the bike on the porch, seeing as the wheels were caked in old dirt.

A _slam_ shot through the air and Rey jumped, ready to fight off any bears of wayward goats, but saw nothing around. Had she been hearing things?

Maybe the wind had knocked over a tree branch, or some snow had fallen from a decent height, she looked to her neighbor’s porch…

And smiled with a laugh making her way back into the cold of her own home.

The keys and steaks were gone, and Rey knew, this was only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Tell me what you thought!
> 
> Also, 
> 
> This is my like 3rd running Reylo story but holy moly I wanna write a sugar daddy ben au one as well. Would anyone be interested in that?


	3. Flannel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek inside Ben's head and Rey is in for a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for everyones patience. I've been on quarantine for about a week and will probably be stuck at home until June. I'll do my best to update more!

The most painful part of living in the snowy hills of Coruscant wasn’t the cold or the very limited social contact, but the fact that waking at up 6:30 am was _horrible._

The cold always seeped into her warm bed overnight, prompting her limbs to resemble that of steel beams and groaning every time she had to climb out of her warm cocoon. She slept in thin shorts and a graphic tee that featured the high school of Jakku—sleeping in flannel only led to overheating in the middle of the night, which was the worst thing that had happened so far.

She’d shuffle to the surprisingly large bathroom, always wondering what an old man like Obi-Wan needed a massive bathtub for, and spend a few minutes brushing her teeth and relieving herself in the pristine toilet.

The clothing worn to work was simple; a bright neon pink shirt with Tico Town written in goofy lettering and a dark pair of jeans—this of course being worn under a large down jacket.

Two pairs of shoes had been destroyed after deciding to wear sneakers in the snow, but she’d learned her lesson and invested in a pair of winter boots last week.

There wasn’t much time to cook anything before she needed to make the thirty-minute bike ride into town—going much slower than normal and trying to avoid any black ice or slushy areas.

And as always…

Rey shut and locked the door to her home, looking out into the empty woods with curiosity.

Poe had said there were wolves out there that people went missing and it took Rangers days to find them.

Her eyes turned to Solo’s home, staring at the front door, willing it to open and show her the man who—after two weeks of living here—she still hadn’t seen. Never a door being shut, not a sound of snow crunching under boots, nothing at all.

Maybe wolves had eaten him, or he’d died in there. His car remained in the same spot as she’d parked it two weeks ago, and that day was the only interaction she’d had with him as of now.

It made her sad that both of them were so alone.

Rey walked to her chained up bike and undid the lock, lifting and walking over to the already cleared off road, biking down the trail without looking back.

* * *

This was the 6th time in the past year that Ben had jolted awake in the dead of the night, dark eyes searching every corner of the room and trying to discern shadow from enemy. It only took moments for the firing nerves of his brain to calm, the soothing scent of nest to calm away his worries, and to fall back into his nest with a sigh.

But that _smell_.

That _fucking **smell.**_

It wafted in through the open windows at first—and then crammed itself in through every crease, squeezing into every pore on his body and practically suffocating him. A simple smell brought him to his knees, begging for mercy and wishing for relief.

This was all new territory for him, being helpless and confused and wanting to understand but not knowing how.

_“It felt like a jolt of electricity when I met your father. I’d known he was around days before we even met and little did I know he’d been watching me. But I remember so clearly the day we met… I looked into his eyes and—“_

Imprinting—a werewolf mating technique that bound you to your soul mate, but it always started out with the smell. And the one from next door was going to drive him insane.

It would’ve been nice if Leia or Han had been here to help him, even Luke could’ve told him something… but he was so _alone._

The old man next door had died not to long ago, and Ben had howled to the moon as another soul crossed over, dooming Ben to another lifetime of isolation.

Except…

He hadn’t even been home when _she’d_ arrived.

The girl next door.

_Rey_

He’d been off hunting in his wide expanse of territory, trying to find a buck stupid enough to be out in the snowy season—not that there wasn’t every a not snowy season. The upside to being alone was the freedom he felt in his wolf skin, hunting and sniffing out prey to his hearts content. The feeling of teeth tearing into blood and flesh compared to no other.

He was prideful enough to admit that mating had crossed his mind; wishing female wolves were in the area with wombs ready to bear him a litter.

But no one was here.

 _Until now_.

It was as if every pore in his skin was on fire and screaming for her presence, her scent. And this was only after smelling her, there was no doubt that with one look they’d be bonded for life, basically married in wolf terms.

And his wolf howled with joy at the idea of a future with the girl next door— _god_ , when she’d knocked on his door and he’d heard her _voice_ he’d almost knotted right in his pants like a goddamn pup. He could just picture that voice whispering praise as he filled her to the brim, stuffing her with his cock so deep that no wolf would question his claim.

He’d been too nervous to open the door, to see her eyes and set their future on one course aligned, instead cracking open the door and throwing them at her back, seeing the brown hair up in a bun and long legs that would look better wrapped around his own hips.

He’d heard her drive off and was running out the back door in an instant, changing into a massive dark wolf and running off the joyous energy he’d been holding in. It was as if the sun was shining on Ben Solo and nothing could bring him down.

She returned the keys that night and he’d pressed himself against the other side of the door, smelling her and breathing in every scent she emitted, the foreign feeling of nervousness in his bones.

_“I heard you like steaks too.”_

He heard the thud of items being placed on the ground and the telltale footsteps of her retreating back home.

His hand had slowly opened up to the porch, watching Rey lift up her bike and walk to her own porch, his eyes eventually moving down to see the pack of steaks with his keys nestled on top.

He snatched the precious bounty and shut the door once more, running to his nest and devouring the mildly bloody steaks with joy.

She provided for him, as if he needed anything but her warm body and sweet soul.

And somehow in someway, two weeks had flown by, and Ben hadn’t shown himself to her like the coward he was. She woke up at 6:30 in the morning—much too early and more suited a time for early morning cuddles in the dewy sunlight—but instead he’d listen as she fluttered around her home, dressing and never eating much—once they’d mated he would fatten her up, with food as well as pups—and would hear her fading bike ride into town.

And more than once he’d followed her from inside the woods, making sure no other predators saw her as a potential mate or prey. She wouldn’t be able to fend off another wolf like he could.

This was what he did for two whole weeks; rinse and repeat.

But today he needed to go to town; as a man he was pure muscle and larger than the average fellow, and the woods only gave him so much meat and he needed to stock up, maybe pick up a few bones to chew on.

And who knows, maybe if Rey was still in town he’d try and catch another glimpse of her, something to sate the hungry wolf inside.

* * *

“Welcome to Tico Town, would you like to try one of our Bourbon Bon-Bon’s?”

Poe stood at the counter with an expression more suited for an historian, looking over the massive list of sweet treats. He came in around 7:15 every night, always ordering two jelly filled donuts—one for himself and the other Finn—and then asking for one massive glass of iced tea. And even if she knew what he was going to order, she still let him stand and contemplate.

“I guess I can try… _hmmm,_ maybe 2 donuts—jelly filled of course. And…. How’s the iced tea?”

She smiled as she prepared the usual icedtea portion of his order and handing it over. “You know you could just ask for the usual order.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” His eyes lit up as he took one big gulp of the sweet, but not too sweet tea, smiling at her with a hazy look. “How’s Coruscant treating you? It took Finn a solid year to stop wearing shorts like the sun was gonna come out. I’d say—“

He looked her up and down, “You seem to be doing slightly better than him.”

She shrugged and grabbed the jelly donuts, placing them in the pink to-go bag, “I’m alright. It’s cold as hell up there but the wolves haven’t eaten me, so I guess that’s a plus.”

He snickered as he took the donut bag from her stretched hand, “Pretty sure they want someone with more meat on their bones.”

He perked up, “And speaking of meaty bones, the hell is Finn? I said I’d pick him up after work and we wanted to beat the storm.”

“Storm?” She hadn’t checked the weather, assuming it would just be snow, “When’s there supposed to be a storm?

He looked over his shoulder and out of the large glass window, peering up at the sky. “News said something like 8 but I wouldn’t risk it. The weather down here can get pretty violent sometimes, don’t need us on the road when the sky’s basically a white sheet.”

Finn came out from the backroom and immediately ran to his boyfriend, giving a kiss before turning a pulling off his apron, “I’m out for the night, Rey. Lock up and turn the lights off when you go. Bye!”

They left the store before she could even respond, climbing into Poe’s car and driving off, leaving her in the empty store. Rose hadn’t come in—something about her dog feeling sick—so Rey was by herself.

She should’ve stopped Finn and asked for a ride back up, knowing riding a storm on her bike was a recipe for disaster. But she had no choice, so the most she could do was close up early, remembering she needed to stop by Holdo’s for some meat and veg, wanting to make a hearty stock to keep her insides warm.

It took another fifteen minutes to clean up and turn off all the lights, stepping out into the chilly night breeze, down jacket covering her arms and thin shirt.

The sky was growing darker by the minute and she needed to hurry, lest being stuck in town with a raging storm. She climbed on her bike and pedaled down the street, seeing all the other stores already closed down but Holdo’s lights were still on.

She placed her bike in the rack and jogged inside, seeing no one else around. Guess she was the only one stupid enough to go out in a storm.

Amilyn was still at the butchers counter, this time reading a book with a purple cover full of stars. Her purple hair was hidden behind a beanie and gloves covered her fingers.

As Rey approached, Amilyn put down her book to smile at Rey, “People usually stay home when a storms in town. But then again, I’ve seen crazier things.”

Rey didn’t really know what to say, “I didn’t know Coruscant got storms, no one really warned me before moving here.”

Amilyn shrugged, “Looking for anything specific tonight?”

Rey looked inside the glass display with a frown, “Are you all out? There’s nothing left.” Only a lone piece of yellowtail looked up at her with a glassy eye.

“Big guy just bought us out, even asked for the bones.” Rey deflated. “Never seen a man wear such ugly flannel, damn shame with shoulders like that.” Amilyn picked back up her book and continued reading with a smirk.

Rey let out a sad sigh and walked off to the rest of the store, eventually stopping in an aisle of frozen food, staring at the icy freezer burned steaks that would no doubt be tough as old boots.

_She’d wanted to get some for Solo._

But frozen was never as good as fresh, and she let out a groan.

This just sucked; there was no meat and she was going to be stuck biking up the snowy hill that would most likely destroy her tires. Her eyes slipped shut as she turned to exit the aisle, ready to head home and wait out the cold.

Except, she ran face first into a hard slab of muscle and nearly fell back, if not for a thick arm slipping around her waist and pulling her close.

_!_

Her eyes shot open and started at the strange black and red flannel, moving up to a thick neck, higher to a lightly bearded chin and seeing thick red lips that probably won first in any kissing booth—higher was a splattering of moles and—

His eyes were something out of this world, and she felt the arm around her waist tighten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments your thoughts!


	4. Alone Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meeting between our resident lonely werewolf Ben and lovely neighbor Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and practicing social distancing! It's my 2nd week home and I'm going insane! I thought I'd be writing more but it's hard to find the drive/passion to write when the days are all bleeding together. 
> 
> Glad I finished this chapter and hopefully I get around to updating my other fics as well! My copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons just came, so hopefully that gives me some joy!
> 
> Love ya'll and stay safe!

His jaw was clenching so hard she was sure there would be shattered teeth falling to the ground in a couple of seconds; could already picture the white shards bouncing off her down jacket and skidding across the hard floor.

She could feel the bulk of muscle in the arm enclosed around her waist, the corded muscles straining to hold her up from falling. But she still hadn’t looked away from his eyes—

Warmth blossomed in her chest as she breathed in his musky earthy aroma and stared into his deep dark eyes, finding it hard to look away. It was a compelling force holding their gazes aligned, and it took a great deal of strength to tug herself away from his heavy arm, shuffling as to have a few feet in between them.

A crinkle appeared between his brows as a frown overcome his plush pink lips, a whispering voice begging her to give them a peck, but waved it away. This was a stranger and you couldn’t just kiss every hot person you came across at the grocery store.

She watched him awkwardly let his arms hang at his sides, thick fingers twitching back and forth—eager to touch. It became clear that she would have to be the one to speak first.

Seeing as this was stranger in her eyes, she held out a hand, “Sorry about that. I don’t pride myself on running into people, I swear.”

She wiggled her open fingers. “I’m Rey. I’m fairly new here and I don’t think we’ve met.”

“I know.” She was taken aback at how deep his voice was, how it punched straight to her core with a welcoming heat, but she raised a brow in confusion at his words.

“Know what?”

He audibly gulped, Adams apple bobbling, “Your name. I know it’s Rey.”

It was an odd thing to hear from a man she’d never met—who also happened to be wider than the fridge in her medium sized kitchen—so it was fair of her to take a another step back in slight caution, just for him to take one large one forward as well, putting them much closer than before.

“I’m sorry I’m not stalking you or anything I swear I’d never do something like that to you.” He looked so sincere as he explained himself, but Rey still questioned, “Then how did you know my name?”

He hesitated for another brief moment, even going as far as to bite his thick lips with fervor.

She wasn’t expecting him to mutter, “I’m your neighbor.”

This….

This guy was… _Solo_?

She’d admit that an image of Solo had already been formed in her mind; a combination between moth man and Bigfoot, but with the added abilities of driving a car and consuming steak.

Rey wasn’t disappointed in any way, nor did she dislike the insanely attractive mountain man standing in front of her in the frozen pizza aisle, but why the hell hadn’t he spoken to her in the past two goddam weeks?

She smacked his shoulder with a huff. “Where in the hell have you been? You are, without a doubt, the worst neighbor I’ve ever had in my entire life—and I’ve had some pretty shit neighbors. I mean, you threw your keys at my back and avoided me like the plague. Who in the hell do you think you are?”

Her foot tapped an irregular beat on the cold floor, fists planted on her jacket-covered hips and glare firmly planted on her round face.

Her hard look weakened as he just kept staring directly in her eyes, not once looking away or answering a single demand. She started to feel slightly bad—here she was, practically screeching in the face of her newly discovered neighbor like banshee.

He shuffled in place and shamefully rubbed the back of his head, “I’m not good with people… sometimes.”

There was much more she wanted to say to the refrigerator-sized man about the rudeness of avoiding your neighbors, but instead gave him a small nod.

“It’s all right Solo, just don’t do it again or I may have to break down your door.” She chuckled a bit and so did he, at least before he stuck out one long hand.

“Ben. You can call me Ben.”

_Ben_

A warm feeling fluttered in her gut, weaving through her ribs and perching in her throat. It was a much better name than Solo.

They stared at each other as the one other employee in the store shyly stuck his head in at the end of the aisle, “I’m sorry but we’re closing early tonight. The storm has started to blow out the power a couple towns over so we gotta close for the night.”

The storm; she’d forgotten about the stupid storm that would render the roads unusable by her shitty bike. And her pointed eyes took in the large bags of meat that sat beside Ben, tips of bones sticking out while cuts of lamb sat in their own blood at the bottom. It made her mouth water.

Ben acknowledged the waiting cashier, “Sure thing kid.” He leaned down to hoist up his bags while speaking to Rey. “You getting anything?”

There was just a measly frozen pizza in her hands, “One sec.” And she quickly grabbed 4 more—two Hawaiian and two meat lovers.

He nodded and she followed him out of the aisle, standing behind him as he paid for his bags upon bags of meat, as well as a few whole loaves of bread.

He nodded to her numerous pizza boxes, “Ring that up too.” And pulled out his wallet as she started to protest.

“Ben, no you really don’t have to.”

“But I _want_ to.”

He gives her a hard look, much like the one she gave him just minutes ago, and pays for her mediocre frozen pizzas, handing the young man the $128.56 owed and thanking him in that deep voice that Rey was starting to crave. She took her bag of pizzas and followed him outside—only to hold back a loud curse at how much the temperature had dropped.

The sky had turned a harsh unruly grey as trees whipped back and forth, wind blowing a heavy wind down the streets as the distinct smell of rain entered the atmosphere.

Rey had started to diverge from the path of following Ben, instead moving for her parked bike and wondering how in the _hell_ she was gonna make it back up with this storm raging about.

Except she gasped as a large palm closed around her forearm, tugging her back into Ben’s space and away from her bike. He was staring down at her with a furrowed brow and a hard frown, “You’ll never make it up on that.”

She shrugged and tried to take her arm back, “It’s my only way up.”

But he shook his head, “Thrown it in the back and we’ll go up together.” He didn’t take no for an answer and sat down his meat bags on the cold grown, easily jogging over to her bike and lifting it up in one strong hand, before running to his large car and placing it in the back.

It felt odd to Rey that he was doing these things for her; buying the pizza, lifting her bike and offering her a ride up to their cabins. Most would say it was neighborly, but she felt like there was no way he would even take no for an answer. There was _something_ about Ben Solo… something she didn’t really understand.

“You coming, Rey?” She shook her head and nodded, jogging to the other side of the car and stepping in, watching as Ben did the same.

She remembered how big the seat was when she’d driven it into town weeks ago, but Ben almost looked too small for it—those large thighs having no room to spread and his wide shoulders barely fitting against the seat.

The car rumbled to life and Ben expertly pulled out of the snowy lot, Rey seeing all of the lights shut off inside the grocery store. There were no more cars in the lot and Rey hoped Amilyn got home safe.

It was a quiet ride to start; Rey tapped a soft rhythm on her thigh as he navigated the snowy—and now rainy weather, too nervous to turn on the radio. She was tempted to ask him some questions, maybe get to know him a little bit, but nerves bit at her vocal cords.

Would he have much to say? Seeing as he lived alone on the snowy hills maybe he did nothing but work out and watch TV—if he even had a TV. And did he know Obi-Wan? Were they friends? A million questions ran through her head.

She nearly gained whiplash when he cleared his throat and tightened his grip on the wheel, “Do you like the weather?”

…

She furrowed a brow. “Do I like the _weather_?” And watched him nod.

She shrugged, “It’s nothing like Jakku, a lot more cold than I’m used to, but I’m adapting alright.” He nodded at her answer with a light lip purse. “Do _you_ like the weather?”

“It’s alright. Good for hunting.” His knuckles were clenching the steering wheel so hard they were a pale white. Rey nodded and watched as he made a precarious left turn, “Poe told me there’s wolves out there so I can’t imagine there’s much for anyone else.”

Ben grunted out, “Deer, elk, even squirrels are good for stews.” She tried not to picture him shooting cute squirrels from their nests.

“Would you consider yourself a good hunter?”

And for the first time in their short time together, he turned to give her a feral grin that showed off his teeth, “Rey, there ain’t no hunter like me.”

She tried to laugh, taking it in more of a comical stride, but he didn’t laugh, just turned back to watch the road. There was something about that toothy grin that had her shifting in her seat and trying to settle away any lewd thoughts.

They continued on in silence for the rest of the twenty minutes, Rey looking out the window at the furious rainy storm while Ben made sure they made it there safety. The wet ground was more difficult to maneuver than a snowy one, but Ben had it under control, which Rey needed to do to her hormones and stop staring at his flannel covered shoulders.

“Here we are.”

Rain pelted against the windshield and Rey considered just staying in the car until the sky calmed down. But Ben seemed against that and turned to her, one hand on the doorknob while the other leaned over and rested on her _thigh._

“Is it alright if I put your bike on the porch? I think it’ll be fine out there for the night.” She nodded with a quivered lip and he patted her thigh—once, _slap_ , twice, _slap_ —and bounded out of the car.

She watched him round the car and lift the bike up, running across the wet and snowy ground to deposit it on her porch. He moved with such speed and strength it made her imagine what other activities he could do with all that strength.

_Cut it out Rey, now is not the time for horny neighbor thoughts._

He was running back as she opened the door and stepped out into the furious rain, opening the backseat to grab her bags of pizza. He came up behind her and pressed flush with her back, reaching and grabbing his bags of meat.

She was surprised when they both raced to _her_ porch and caught their breath under the roof, looking at one another. She broke the silence.

“Thanks for the ride, and the food, and bringing my bike.” She gave him the brightest smile she could muster when soaking wet.

He nodded down at her and licked his lips, “Glad to help.” There was a frustrated look on his face but the words still came out, “I’m sorry for not coming over sooner, I really did want to but I just—“

She cut him off, “It’s in the past Ben, and I’m already over it. As long as from now on, we can be neighbors, maybe even friends.”

He perked up, like a dog with a bone, “Friends?”

And she nodded, “Friends.”

He seemed to think about he words before nodding with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you around, _neighbor_.”

“You too, _neighbor_.” They both chuckled and she watched Ben trot off of her porch and jog to his, waving at her once more before stepping inside.

Rey sighed to herself; almost wishing he’d come into her home instead, before stepping inside with her frozen pizzas.

And promptly screaming at the bloody _thing_ lying on her floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i live for cliffhangers I've had this one planned since the beginning no regrets.


	5. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey get close, and Rey has a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On an updating spree since I haven't updated in so long, so, enjoy!
> 
> Also, I didn't reply to 90% of the comments because they all basically said the same thing and I just didn't want to keep responding with the same answer.
> 
> ON HIATUS FOR NANOWRIMO 2020 RELEVANT FROM 11/1-12/1

Ben Solo was no stranger to nightmares; demons in the shapes of hunters and monsters had plagued his thoughts for longer than he could remember, but the utter fear clenching his heart at the sound of Rey’s ear shattering scream was more frighting than any dream. The bags containing fresh meat and old bones hit the floor as his rapid footfalls echoed through his room and out into the snowy air, warm puffs of air billowing under his nose.

His mind raced; what if she was hurt, what if it was another alpha come to take his mate from right under his nose…oh god, what if she accepted this rival alpha over him? He nearly transformed then and there, images of Rey under some other wolf making him see red.

He was on her porch in no time, wrenching the door open while paying no mind to wether it was locked before or not. The first thing he saw was Rey cowering against the wall with her eyes trained on the middle carpet, his sight of whatever it was being obscured by the ugly maroon couch that Obi-Wan had gotten at a garage sale.

His first instinct was to make sure she was okay, and was next to her in an instant, “Are you alright? I heard…”

His voice died down as she fell into his arms, face stuffed in his plaid. Her hair was directly under his nose and he resisted the urge to lean down and take a deep breath. Instead of giving into his wolfy urge, he looked over her head and truly what had elicited her screams.

It was a wolf.

It had once been a beautiful creature with a mane that crossed the spectrum, but now its fur was matted with dark red blood and its eyes unseeing.

Ben had seen this wolf before in the forest, knew it was a female who tended to stay to herself that had once had a mate. It was impossible to suppress the threatening growl from his chest at this blatant act of violence, knowing that this was placed her for a reason.

Rey’s sniffles subsided a bit as his chest rumbled, watery eyes gazing up, “Are you—Are you growling?”

“Nah, think you’re hearing things.” One of his large hands reached up tilted her chin to look him in the eyes, “Was anyone in here when you came in? Did you see anyone at all?”

He grunted when she shook her head, “I-I didn’t see anyone… Who do you think did this?” She tried to wipe away her tears and let out a gasp when his own thumb rubbed away the wetness on her cheeks, gazing at her with a shocking intensity that had her heart thumping in her chest.

Their eyes broke apart when Ben cleared his throat, “Do you want me to bury it in the backyard? I can help with the blood tomorrow, but let me tell you now, it’s a hard stain.”

She looked back at the dead wolf with a furrowed brow, “How’d you know it stains?” She hated gazing at the brutal act of violence resting on her floor, but it would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

Ben grunted and lightly pushed her away, stepping onto the carpet and looking down, “Told you I was a hunter, didn’t I.”

She nodded and watched him easily move the wolf to a better position, making to roll it in the carpet. While he worked, she looked around and didn’t spot a single sign of broken glass or shattered furniture, wondering how the wild animal had gotten in. There was no blood on anything aside from the carpet, and she watched Ben lug the rolled up wolf out to the front door. She could’ve helped him—not really, there was no way she could match his strength in any way.

Fifteen minutes must have passed before Ben came back, sweat lingering on his brow and huffs of warm breath wafting around his nose, paying no mind to the thick snow covering his jacket. He stood in the doorway with an indescribable look, lips moving in an odd way as he tried to find the right words to say.

“Thank you—“

“I guess—“

Both of their mouths closed at the same time, and Rey nodded to him to go. He cleared his throat and rolled on the balls of his feet, “I’ll be back in the morning to help with the blood, that’s if you even need help or anything, or if you don’t then I don’t have to…”

It was cute when he rambled and she found it shocking that such a big woodsman seemed to be stumbling over his words as if he’d had any reason to be nervous around her. She nodded at his words.

“It’s really not to bad, I think I can manage.” His downtrodden look had her back tracking in an instant,” Or-or maybe, uhm, I could use the company?”

The small smile on his face had Rey’s heart racing, fingers wringing behind her back as Ben took his leave with a wave. She quickly made to close the door and fall against it, biting her lip resisting the urge to break into a smile. There was almost a silver lining to this night; the car ride had been unexpected but pleasant, and now he’d come to her rescue like some kind of knight in shining armor—well, more like plaid.

The rumble that had been nothing short of a growl echoing through his chest had done something to her—did that make her a bad person, liking someone’s growls—and a warm wetness spread through her beat up off cream-white panties. Rey was aware how fucking weird this was; she went from crying over a wolf body to getting wet at her neighbors growls. She was totally going to hell.

Her feet sprinted to the bedroom at the back of the house, shedding the thick layers of clothes until nothing but her bra and panties were left. She collapsed with a moan on the chilly bed, crawling to the head and mentally trying to loosen her stressed body for some sexy time, ft. Ben Solo from next-door growling like a wolf man.

Her eyes had fallen shut and one hand had started to skim the lower pudge of her belly when she felt it; a small shaking coming from beneath the mountain of pillows under her head. Arousal flooded out of her body as she sat up, turning onto all fours to look at the lightly shaking bundle of pillows, trying to think of how to proceed.

Option one was simply lifting the pillows and seeing what was under, monster or demon be damned and she’d simply have to fight it off. Option two was go get Ben and have him get in her bed and lift her pillows, which when looking at it like that, seemed like a ridiculous idea.

Rey took a shaky breath, calmly self-talking, “You got this, and it’s probably just a squirrel that got stuck.”

She sat there, leaned back on her thighs and staring at the shaking pillow, fingers tapping irregularly on her thigh. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest, watching the shaking grow more rapid and her fear shooting through the roof.

And yet she still recklessly tore away all of the thick down filled pillows and heard them pile on the floor, widened eyeballs trained on the little four legged fluff ball staring back. It’s tiny eyes were cracked open revealing a bright hazelnut, a shade lighter than its thin coat.

“Huh.”

_Sniff_

She dared not move, watching with amazement as the little teeny tiny wolf—it must have been the pup of the one that had died in her living room, no doubt looking for warmth and maybe food after losing its mother—lean forward with its wet shiny nose pointed at her. The sniffs were audible to Rey’s human ears, and the pup must have deemed her safe as it slowly walked forward and nosed at her knee.

Her fingertips were shaking as they lifted, trying to be as non-aggressive as she could, and lightly petted the small wolf baby, eventually coaxing it into her arms. From this position, the belly of the pup on full display while its nose nosed at her armpit for a better smell, she could see that it was very much a male pup.

She lightly rubbed at its warm belly, “Well, aren’t you a sweetheart.” He perked up at the first sound of her voice, watching her with a shocking intensity. “What am I going to do with you?”

He merely huffed and let out little whine that had her heart melting, any idea of giving him to any shelter gone as quick as it came. Her head turned to look out the window into the woods, watching the snow hit the dark trees.

“Are you a cold little bean? How about…I get you…” The pup sniffled as she tried to slip from the bed and walk without jostling the little guy, one handedly opening up the sweater drawer and pulling free the fluffiest one—it read ‘Hoppy Easter’ and Obi-Wan had knitted it himself ages ago.

“How about this, you think this’ll keep you nice and toasty?” She asked him as if he could answer, but he simply stared up with those hazel eyes. “Yeah, I think we’re good.”

It was a walk back to the bed and a little fight to wrap the pup in her sweater with just his little head poking out. She lifted him back into the crook of her arm, “Do you need anything else?”

They stared at each other and only the gurgle of the pups belly alerted her to the most important thing a growing wolf needed. “Let’s cook you up some…”

Except, Ben—the traitor who’d stolen all the meat and bones, had stolen all the meat and bones, leaving her with just pizza and the few bare things that weren’t meant for wolf bellies. It would’ve maybe been smart to run next-door and kindly demand some of his meat bounty, but she’d feel bad stealing his food. He’d already driven her up the hill, bought her groceries, and buried the wolf in the backyard—she couldn’t take his food too.

“I guess its pizza for us, little guy.”

_Sniff_

She walked from the bedroom and turned on the kitchen light, walking out into the living room to pick up the fallen pizzas, never having had the chance to put them away. They weren’t completely thawed, so she quickly stuffed three in the freezer, knowing that another trip once the storm passed would be needed, especially if this little guy stuck around.

“450 degrees, 15 minutes, okay, should be easy enough.” She looked down into those hazel eyes, “Easy, right?”

_Sniff_

Rey agreed, “Easy.”

With the pizza in the oven and small cat timer set to fifteen minutes, she strolled around the kitchen with the warm puppy in the crook of her arm, whistling a tune. This must have been what carrying a baby felt like, though it wasn’t like she’d ever held one. Bet human babies were also less furry.

“Hmmm.” She looked down with a raised brow, “What exactly are we going to call you? Hmmmm, nothing normal like Phillip or Adam, too plain. How about… George?”

Her airy laughter filled the room as the pup made a disgruntled face, nose twitching to create a frown under its hazel eyes.

“Okay, not George, how about…Lucas?” Another disgruntled face, but much less repulsed. “Maybe Luke? Is that better?”

Those hazel eyes just watched her, no sign of disagreement or disgust. She smiled triumphantly, “Well, that settles it, you shall now be know as Luke Kenobi.”

_Sniff_

The cat timer rung in a high shrill that caused the pups ears to flinch, and Rey made quick work of removing the pizza from the oven and cutting a few slices. She let it cool first before eating some herself and giving Luke a half a slice of pizza and a bowl full of water.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything better, I swear tomorrow we’ll get you a proper meal.” Luke crawled back into the sweater nook in her arm once his belly was full, sleepily licking his lips. “I wonder if Ben will like you.”

One little ear twitched as she shut off the kitchen light, “I think he will, if not because of your charming looks but…”

Her feet stopped in the doorway as she stared at her bed, wishing there was someone else to share it with. It didn’t have to be Ben, but it would be nice if it was. Maybe tomorrow, Ben would agree to help her with Luke, and she could get to know him. It just felt so right to be around him, to be near him, to hear his heart and to smell his woodsy scent. It was painful trying not to picture him under her sheets, and the whining from her arms had her sighing.

“Oh Luke, you’re my only hope.”

Rey placed the pillows back on the bed and settled under the covers, pup settled against her breast and little snores echoing in the air. Her eyes gazed at the pillow across from her, lone hand reaching out to rest on the cool surface and fall into a dreamland full of wolves and hazelnuts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it!
> 
> ON HIATUS FOR NANOWRIMO 2020 RELEVANT FROM 11/1-12/1


	6. Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Luke visit Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... it's been a while guys. Thanks to everyone whose still here, you guys mean the world. 
> 
> 2020 was bad for me. After months of stressful school, in November, while doing and finishing NanoWriMo, my dog developed a rapid brain tumor and had a very slow yet sudden death that emotionally destroyed me. January 2021 is my first time actually enjoying writing since... shit, maybe last June?
> 
> I'm very lucky to have not had covid-19, and I hope you all are staying home as things get worse. Being stuck home since last March is unenjoyable but it must be done. I'm making no promises for frequent updates; I do my best. I only ask for patience and that you enjoy. We're all doing our best guys. 
> 
> -Spencer

Morning sunlight broke through the trees, breaking the darkness that had shrouded the cabin room. Birds chittered, relishing in the cold breeze of the Coruscant air, smelling the salt of frozen watery lakes, as well as the pine from frosted trees. Snow had decimated the area, covering the streets and slicking the ice. Anyone coming in or out of town would be shit out of luck.

Grumbling under the soft down covers, as well as the only real protection from the icy frost-like air, Rey turned in on herself. Her arms pulled her knees upwards, temple plunging down into the darkness and pushing out the lingering lightness of the day. It normally smelled of her own natural scent, but the softly sniffling pup just inches away had changed that.

Now it only smelled on canine fur and musk.

As the sniffling grew more desperate—he’s hungry, she thought—and less easy to ignore and escape to dreamland from, she gingerly peeled the covers away, allowing the day to slap her in the face. Luke, the overzealous wolf pup, scrambled out from under the too warm covers and yipped joyously, free from the sleepy confines of its makeshift bed, one that any roaming wolf would kill to have.

Finally sitting up, Rey’s arms stretched above her head, mouth opening in a loud drawn out yawn. Chills erupted along her arms, and she grumbled once more. Wearing a jacket under a down blanket normally lead to overheating in the dead of night, but it was better than freezing in the morning.

Luke yipped again, taking the covers between his small canines and tugging with all his might. It barely made a dent in the mound covering her lower half, but it did make her laugh.

“Alright, alright,” announced Rey while standing from the bed. “I’m up.” Luke practically jumped into her arms, nose snuffling her chest and face, as if he’d forgotten her scent and wanted it memorized.

The two of them strolled into the bathroom. Her morning routine went by relatively fast as Luke eagerly waited on the counter with his tongue stuck out. One clean body and washed face later, the two of them were back in the bedroom while Rey picked out the days clothes. Deciding on a burgundy sweater with thick black lines running perpendicular to the neck hole, paired with thick leggings that were sold as ‘leg warmers’, the last place to visit was the kitchen.

Once more, Luke wiggled on the kitchen counter as she inspected the fridge. As expected, as well as true to her memory, there was leftover pizza from the previous night, as well as a few miscellaneous here and there things that wouldn’t do well for protein. But then again, remembering that Ben had bought out the entire meat section lessened her guilt, but not by much.

“Do you think Ben would be mad if I asked him for some of his many steaks?” She looked to Luke for his response, and the wide wolf eyes were of no help. “It’s him or it’s nothing,” she murmured under her breath.

Luke yipped again when she hefted him up against her chest. “Time for a field trip!” Rey grinned, sliding into her boots as the wolf wiggled in excitement. Walking past the living room, and pointedly not looking at the missing carpet that had been stained with red only a night before, she tried to not to think of a replacement cost.

Locking the door behind, Rey quickly sprinted to Ben’s front door, knocking the snow from her shoes and taking a moment to shiver. It was freezing outside, colder than anything in the winters of Jakku.

Knocking on his door with the palm of her first, Rey yelled “Ben!” There was no answer at first, and she turned to make sure his car was still a few feet away, which it was. He had to be inside. “Maybe he’s asleep,” she glumly replied to Luke.

“Not asleep,” came from over her shoulder and nearly scared the life out of her, which only seemed to excite Luke, who was chirping in excitement with his eyes trained on the imposing height of Ben Solo. He must have only owned a few pairs of clothes that consisted of plaid and deep blue jeans, which were fair considering the climate only consisted of cold and snowy.

Looking up at him, and taking in his ever-present scowl, she smiled. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” Ben grumbled. “You?” He pushed past her and Luke, not batting an eye at the little thing cuddled in her arms, instead stepping into the warmth of his home.

“It was good,” supplied Rey, following his lumbering back inside. “I’m still trying to get used to the cold. I’m much more used to the sun being out longer than an hour a day.” He didn’t even crack a smile.

Inside Ben Solo’s cabin wasn’t exactly as she’d pictured in her mind; much more organized than any other man of his age, for certain. Family photos lined the mantel above the dark, grey fireplace that looked to have not been lit in ages. It should’ve been fresh with charcoal, even new wood, seeing as winter never took a break in Coruscant. But it was empty.

“Do you not light fires?” She pointed to the fireplace, walking towards it while trying to keep a strong grip on the squiggling Luke. “Mine’s full of dust at this point in winter.”

“Not a big fan of fires,” Ben curtly replied, shaking off the snow from his coat before shrugging it off. “Hurts the ozone layer.” Who would’ve thought this giant cares about the ozone?

“Fair enough, I guess. How do you stay warm during the day then?”

Ben nodded over to a pile of fur blankets, “Couple of those are warmer than ten fires put together.” She hadn’t even noticed them. Tons of people owned fake furs, but as she leaned down to run her fingers through the grey fur, she doubted the fakeness.

“Did you skin the… animal yourself?” She gulped at his single nod. “I don’t think I’ve ever killed a thing in my life.”

“Why?” Ben asked. “Death is a part of life.”

Shrugging, Rey said, “I think you’d know how much I don’t like dead bodies by the way I screamed yesterday. And there’s a difference between killing for joy or survival. I won’t ever kill something just because I can.”

“But to survive, you would.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Ben said nothing. His lumbering shoulders stalked through the threshold into the kitchen, and she spotted the light of the fridge. Their fridges must be so different; his had to be full of meats and bones and other tasty things that had her stomach grumbling. The question of whether he was willing to share was on the tip of her tongue. And if Luke’s never ending wiggles were anything to go by, they needed food now.

Ben’s massive form appeared in the doorway when she blinked, and her mouth salivated at the steaming plate in his hand. Piled high with steak and two full baked potatoes, one little pile of green beans that been boiled the night before, and corn on the cob.

“Your stomach’s louder than you think,” Ben shrugged. He motioned her forward, “Got a raw one for the little guy.”

And true to his word, on the table rested a juicy slab of meat perfect for one pup sized wolf. She gingerly sat Luke on the table, and watched him bolt headfirst into the cut of meat. His small teeth tore at it like a ferocious predator.

“Bet he’s starving,” Ben commented. He sat the plate piled high of cooked food in front of her, nodding to it. “Eat.”

Unable to resist a command, she sat and dug in, uncaring that she probably looked like a wild woman, meat stuck between her teeth and juices dribbling down her chin. Hunger did crazy things to a desperate woman. And Luke was no different, nearly done with his chunk of meat and licking his lips.

“Shouldn’t he be too young to eat solid foods?” Rey finished off a chunk of fresh yellow corn, sucking the kernels from her teeth. “I couldn’t even begin to guess how old he is.”

“Couple weeks, maybe more. The mother probably had a whole litter but only saved this little guy.” Ben, who’d been casually leaning against the doorjamb, sauntered over to Luke, who’d sat back on his rump with a full belly while licking his chops. “Only takes about a month for them to wean off milk, so I’d reckon he’ll be fine.”

“Good,” Rey smiled.

Ben asked the question she’d expected, “Where’d you find him?”

“Hiding under my pillow, last night after you left,” she gobbled down one of the baked potatoes. It’d needed salt, but she wasn’t in the mind to ask for some. Butter would’ve been good too. “I think the mother put it there before…”

Ben nodded, “Makes sense. Must’ve known it was being hunted and wanted to protect him.” His eyes scanned the little wolf, occasionally shifting to Rey. “Was he any trouble? I could take him off your hands if you want.”

Rey’s mind flashed to the fur coats by the fireplace; “I like him. He’s good company.”

“Alright,” Ben said, letting it go. Clearing his throat, he changed the conversation, “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary before coming over? Any broken windows or something missing?”

Thinking hard, nothing came to mind. The fridge had still been empty, the carpet still missing, but not a thing seemingly out of place from what was regularly there. She shook her head.

Ben huffed and ran his fingers through his hair. He reminded her of an agitated dog, pacing back and forth with a racing mind. His brain was clearly racing, his eyes darting back and forth, and she pushed away the nearly empty plate and stood. Luke’s eyes followed her trail to Ben’s side.

“Do you have any ideas about how it got in my living room?” Ben deeply sighed with flared nostrils. She had the urge to rub his furred chin and ease to crease of his brow, but held back her twitching fingers. Trying to ease the tension in his frame, she gently said, “It’s okay if you don’t know, I don’t either. But I don’t want you to waste your time on me.”

“Waste? I’m not, “ Ben huffed like an angry old hound. His wide, warm palm reached up to grasp her shoulder. “Helping you isn’t a waste of time. I want to be the one to fix this, Rey.”

His baritone voice saying her name sent shivers down her spine and chilled her gut. It was as smooth as a fountain of melted chocolate that slid into every perfect crevice and coated each delectable piece of fresh fruit. His voice slithered up her legs and tickled her clit, sliding in and out of her core. His fingers would’ve felt better.

Giving a fake cough, she backed away and let his hand fall from her shoulder, already missing the warmth. “And you are, Ben, you are helping and I appreciate that, and you, and… thank you.” Luke yipped. “He’s thankful as well.”

Under Ben’s fuzzy scruff, red blossomed; “Anything for you.”

“Is there anyway I can convince you to donate to the Rey & Luke household? We’re low on meat… and basically everything else, too.”

“Luke?” Ben bristled, snarling the word. “Where is he?”

This was the angriest he’d ever sounded, and after taking a step back and pointing to the smiling pup on the counter, she repeated herself, “Luke. Him.”

“Oh.” Anger visibly fled from his shoulders, and Rey waited for him to explain himself. Having such a visceral reaction to a regular name normally required a why or who. “My uncle has the same name. He and I don’t see eye to eye. I thought—“

“You thought I had your Uncle in my home twenty feet from yours?” Rey tried not to snicker, seeing how he’d gotten visibly angry at the thought of the man being anywhere close to them. She pointed to Luke and waved, “I just thought it was a cute name, but I can change it if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

“No, no, don’t do that,” Ben insisted while stepping into her space, her nose in his chest. It smelt of pine and musk, with a hint of sea salt. “He’s yours, you name him, I’ll keep it together.”

“Okay.” She nodded into his chest, turning up to look into his eyes. “But I’m still going to take some of your food.”

Ben smiled with his pearly whites, canines shining. “Anything for you, Rey.”

 _In and out, In and out,_ she thought, trying not to imagine to feel of his stupidly large hands stuffed down her front, sliding in and out of her in a rapid pace. Those long fingers could reach farther in than her own, and his palm would scrape against her swollen bud. The only thing better than the in and out slide would be him falling to his knees and nosing at her wetness.

As if he could read her thoughts, Ben’s eyes crinkled and the corners of his mouth turned up. “Something wrong, _Rey_?” He purred her name, and she gulped. He had to know what he was doing to her, no man was that blind.

“No,” she squeaked, stepping out of his bubble and towards Luke, looking anywhere but his dark eyes. The puppy on the table tried his best at barking, and the spell broke between them; Ben returning to his usual blank faced plaid wearing self, and Rey finally taking a breath while the red left her cheeks.

“If we’re done here,” Ben nodded to the mostly empty plate she’d devoured, “I’d like to show you something.” Holding out his abnormally large hand, she shyly took it, making sure to snag Luke along the way out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos appreciated!


End file.
